Drilling rigs and work-over rigs handle a large quantity of crude oil to which corrosion inhibitors have been added, large quantities of salt water, as well as drilling mud having various additives therein, all of which may be saturated with sour gas. It is no easy task to withdraw thousands of feet of tubular goods from a borehole and not spill some of this material that clings to the pipe. This is especially so when working in the west Texas winds or the rain storms of the eastern United States. Some of the material is viscous and clings to the piping as it is withdrawn from the borehole, where it then runs onto the rig floor and dribbles onto the ground, or is blown by the wind, and eventually a substantial amount is left to contaminate the immediate surroundings.
It is next to impossible to pull a wet tubing string in the manner presently demanded by industry and not spill a considerable amount of well fluids onto the rig floor where it subsequently runs off onto the adjacent land. Historically, the area surrounding the rig is a quagmire by the time the rig completes the job and leaves the drilling location. It would be advantageous to have made available a logical system for economically intercepting spills below the drill floor of the drilling and work-over rigs before any of the material touches the ground.
Apparatus by which this can be accomplished is the subject of the present invention.